After hitting a 12-year low on Friday night, Bucks-Raptors put up much stronger ratings — opposite much stronger competition — on Sunday.
Sunday’s Bucks-Raptors NBA Eastern Conference Finals Game 3 earned a 3.7 rating and 6.16 million viewers on TNT, down 8% in ratings and 10% in viewership from Celtics-Cavaliers on ESPN last year, which aired on a Saturday night (4.0, 6.83M), and down 8% and 12% respectively from Celtics-Cavaliers on TNT in 2017 (4.0, 7.00M).
Compared to last year’s conference final Game 3 on TNT, Rockets-Warriors, ratings fell 20% (from 4.6) and viewership 21% (from 7.80M).
Versus the previous conference final to involve Toronto — which does not count toward U.S. television ratings — ratings increased 13% and viewership 14% from Cavaliers-Raptors on a Saturday night in 2016 (3.3, 5.39M).
Toronto’s double-overtime win aired 90 minutes earlier than usual to avoid the series finale of HBO’s exceedingly-hyped “Game of Thrones.” The finale had 13.6 million TV viewers in its initial 9 PM ET airing.
Despite the competition, Game 3 fared far better than Game 2 on Friday night (2.8, 4.34M) — the lowest rated and least-watched conference final game since 2007. While it was TNT’s least-watched conference final Game 3 since 2008 (Lakers-Spurs: 5.73M), it ranks as just the fifth-least watched across all networks over that span.
In addition to Cavaliers-Raptors in ’16, it topped Warriors-Rockets in 2015 (3.6, 5.68M), Spurs-Grizzlies in 2013 (3.1, 4.94M) and Magic-Celtics in 2010 (3.7, 6.02M). Keep in mind those games aired on Saturday nights, the least-watched night of the week.
Game 3 also ranks as the third-most watched Raptors game on U.S. television since 2001. Sixers-Raptors Game 7 this year (6.97M) and Raptors-Cavaliers Game 3 last year (6.35M) hold the top spots.
Game 3 pulled a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49 (-16%) and a 1.9 in adults 18-34 (-17%). Other than “Game of Thrones” (5.8 in A18-49; 4.4 in A18-34), it was the night’s top program in both demos.
